National Conference “GP Chat 2025”

Our project supported the National Conference “GP Chat 2025”, a platform for collaboration dedicated to the development of family medicine in Ukraine. The event was organised by the Academy of Family Medicine of Ukraine.  

Among a number of events at the conference, we would like to tell you about three that were fundamentally important to us.  

1. A practical workshop on otoscopy, where, in addition to theory, the participants had the opportunity to test their skills in practice. This skill is important for the accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of ear diseases in the daily practice of a family doctor, so it should be taught to students as part of the general practice of family medicine.   

1. A separate session was devoted to how general practice family medicine is taught at universities. The participants talked about the real experience of the departments — from under- and postgraduate training to curricula, teaching logic, and access (and sometimes lack of it) to simulation scenarios. They also discussed the needs that the departments face today.  

1. Olena Ihnashchuk, Medical Education Coordinator of the Ukrainian-Swiss Project “Medical Education Development”, presented the manual for teachers “Family Medicine”, a tool that helps to update teaching approaches and better prepare future doctors.   

“For me, it was especially valuable to see the combination of meaningful conversation about teaching family medicine with real practical skills training. It is these formats, where education, practice and interdepartmental dialogue come together in one space that create the basis for systemic changes in the training of family doctors. For the development of family medicine in Ukraine, it is crucial that it is taught by practitioners who do not only develop their teaching skills but also constantly update their clinical knowledge, in particular through participation in professional conferences and communities,” Olena shares her thoughts on the conference.   

Iryna Voloshyna, Head of the Conference organising committee, said: “Planning of interdepartmental coordination and cooperation is a key step towards creating a unified and effective system of training that will meet the needs of patients and the challenges of the time. We want this conference to become a catalyst for real changes in the system of family doctors’ training. We believe that the teachers have gained new knowledge and ideas to improve their curricula.”  

We are grateful to the AFMU for a thoughtful and important platform for the professional community. It is valuable for us to be a part of it.